Elastic knitted fabric



July 7, 1942. ,1. M. BRADSHAW ELASTIC KNITTED FABRIC Filed March 3, 1959 3 Shee'ts-Sheet l July 7, 194-2. J. M. BRADSHAW ELASTIC KNITTED FABRIC Filed March 5, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 7, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE ELASTIC KNITTED FABRIC Jay M. Bradshaw, Gloversville, N. Y.

Application March 3, 1939, Serial No. 259,652

7 Claims.

This invention relates to elastic knitted fabrics and, among other objects, aims to provide a greatly improved warp knit fabric having interspersed knitted-in and tensioned elastic yarns tied into the stitches of a base fabric made of inelastic yarns and also tied to each other to produce'puckers in the base fabric and to impart elasticity to it in all directions. The main idea is to produce an improved fabric of this type in which the elastic yarns are so tied-in that they cannot be ravelled or pulled out, as distinguished from ordinary laid-in elastic yarns. Another object of the invention is to provide an improved method of producing the novel fab- Other aims and advantages of the invention will appear in the following description, when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. l is a face view of a swatch of fabric embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a face view of another swatch of fabric in which the elastic yarns are knitted under less tension than in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a greatly magnified back face view of one form of the fabric embodying single, interspersed elastic yarns to produce the pucker effect; and

Fig. 4 is a front face view of the fabric shown in Fig. 3. I

Referring particularly to the drawings, the type of fabric shown for illustrative purposes is knitted on an ordinary tricot machine. However, it is capable of being produced on other types of knitting machines for making warp knit fabrics. In Fig. 1 there is shown a face view of a swatch of fabric A which rubber yarns are knitted in to produce puckers P in the form of bulges confined in areas or patterns which are defined by the interspersed and tied-in elastic yarns. In Fig. 2 there is shown another swatch of fabric B which is distinguished from the swatch A merely in that the elastic yarns are under less tension and thereby produce a more pronounced pucker effect.

One complete pattern of the fabric shown in Figs. 1 and 2, including the yarns and stitches, is shown in Fig. 3, which is a greatly enlarged back face view of the stitches. It will be understood that the fabric is fed from the machine from the bottom of the figure toward the top. The ordinary tricot stitches IU of the base fabric are formed by one bar of a two bar machine. In this instance, tensioned elastic yarns H, I2, I3,

etc., are fed in by the other bar of the machine and knitted into the stitches formed by the first bar. Incidentally, the elastic yarns may be fed or run in either bar. The distance between the elastic yarns determines the width of the puckers to be produced. When such yarns are fed into the machine simultaneously with inelastic yarns of wool, rayon, or the like, it will be understood that one of the inelastic yarns and one of the spaced elastic yarns are carried by the same needle. The elastic yarns in this case skip seven needles or seven stitches in the base fabric, making a warp pattern of eight needles.

The needles for knitting the illustrated pattern are shown at the bottom of Fig. 3, being numbered 0 to 9; while the courses of thebase fabric stitches are lettered a, b, c, etc. In this example, the elastic yarns l2 and I3 are knitted in the complete pattern. The yarn I2 is fed in between needles 0 and l, making a stitch I through course a in course b together with a corresponding stitch ill in the base fabric; then the yarn is floated warpwise in course b and engaged between needles 8 and 9, making a stitch IS in the course 0; then, it is floated back in the course 0 and again engaged between needles 0 and l, making a stitch IS in course d; then it is floated walewise through four courses and engaged between needles I and 2, making. a tie-in stitch I! in course i; then it is again floated Walewise through four more courses and the operation is repeated. It will be noted that the stitches of the elastic yarns are tied together in the base fabric at the corners of the pattern. In other words, stitch l4 loops around stitch l5 of yarn II and the stitch l5, in turn, loops around stitch 16 of yarn 12 at the lower right corner of the pattern. This interlocking connection of the stitches is repeated at all corners, making it impossible for the elastic yarns to be pulled or ravelled out. In this instance, the' warpwise floats are inlaid or imbedded in the base fabric; while the walewise floats are on the back side of the fabric. Obviously, all of the floats may be carried on either side of the base fabric without being inlaid.

The pattern here shown happens to be substantially in the form of a rectangle in which the strands of elastic yarns are doubled on two opposite sides and are single .on the other two opposite sides. However, it is to be understood that two or more elastic yarns may be substituted for each elastic yarn shown to make heavier fabrics having greater elastic strength and to draw the puckers closer together. Moreover, the shape of the pattern is capable of a wide variety of changes. For example, it may be diamond shaped, semi-circular, moon shaped, etc. Obviously, the strands may be knitted or tied into the inelastic stitches as often as may be desired. One of the main objects of the intermediate tie-ins and the knitted together elastic yarns within the base fabric is to prevent the elastic yarns from being ravelled or pulled out and to maintain the shape of the puckers or pucker patterns as long as the elastic yarns retain their elasticity.

Referring to Fig. 4, the elastic yarn stitches are shown as they appear from the back face of the fabric or exactly the reverse of the stitch arrangement disclosed in Fig. 3. It will be understood. however, that these yarns are incorporated within closely knit inelastic stitches and are practically invisible from the front face of the fabric. They are visible from the front face only when the fabric is stretched in either direction, but may be exposed on the back face.

From the foregoing description it will beobvious that puckered fabrics of a great variety of patterns can be produced on ordinary warp knit machines. Any number of different pattern wheels may be applied to such machines to make different types of fabrics. Moreover, the tension of the elastic yarns may be varied to produce loose or tight puckers. Furthermore, puckered fabric of different types is best adapted for use in making all sorts of elastic knitted garments and other articles. It is especially suited for use in making bathing suits, caps, sweaters, ski suits. gym suits, etc.

Obviously, the present invention is not limited to the particular embodiment thereof herein shown and described, but is capable of a wide variety of modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A warp knit fabric having spaced, tensioned elastic yarns knitted into the fabric to produce puckered patterns in the form of closed areas, whereby the fabric may be stretched in all directions.

2. A warp knit fabric comprising a base fabric of inelastic yarns having tensioned, interspersed elastic yarns knitted therein both warpwise and walewise to produce puckers on the face of the fabric in the form of closed areas, the patterns of the stitches being such as to impart elasticity to the fabric in all directions.

3. A warp knit fabric comprising a base fabric composed of inelastic yarn having spaced, tensioned elastic yarns knitted therein to form closed patterns with the elastic yarns interknit at the corners, adjacent yarns being tied to each other and extending both warpwise and walewise, whereby each pattern forms a pucker on one face of the fabric and the fabric may be stretched in all directions.

4. A Warp knit fabric comprising a base fabric composed of inelastic yarns having tensioned, interspersed elastic yarns incorporated in and knitted into the base fabric in the form of substantially rectangular closed patterns each pattern producing a pucker on one face of the base fabric, the stitches of adjacent elastic yarns being knitted together at the corners of the rectangular patterns to impart elasticity to the base fabric in all directions and prevent ravelling.

5. That method of producing an elastic warp knit fabric, which is characterized by knitting an ordinary base fabric and simultaneously knitting in spaced elastic tensioned yarns both walewise and warpwise to form closed patterns; and knitting the elastic yarns together in each pattern to produce puckers in the base fabric to impart elasticity to it in all directions.

6. That method of making an elastic warp knit fabric which comprises knitting a base fabric of inelastic yarns; feeding in elastic yarns under tension at spaced intervals with some of the inelastic yarns; simultaneously knitting in the elastic yarns both warpwise and walewise in the base fabric and tying the elastic yarns to each other in the form of closed patterns to produce puckers in the base fabric and thereby impart elasticity in all directions to the fabric.

'7. Method of producing an elastic knitted fabric, said method comprising warp-knitting a plurality of relatively inelastic yarns together with a number of interspersed elastic yarns or groups of yarns that are in an extended condition, securing said elastic yarns in at least some of the courses of the fabric, and causing said elastic yarns to run in the fabric for substantial distances across the wales of the fabric as well as across the courses of the fabric so as to form areas of fabric surrounded by elastic yarns.

JAY M. BRADSHAW. 

